A Brand New Start
by Resta U
Summary: The story of the OC, Sheyg Thomas and Shuffle! Characters living in Paradise City. With Nerine as the main heroine. My first fanfic. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews and critics will be openly accepted.
1. Chapter 1

**A Brand New Start**

**Chapter One (The Encounter)**

It was a great day in Paradise City. The weather was sunny with air temperature around 48 degrees. Sheyg rushed his car through the Sunday traffic on South Bay Expressway. He had to pick up an important person at Paradise International Airport.

"Come on, man. Don't let the traffic slow you down." He said.

Two hours earlier, Sheyg made a promise to pick that person up at the airport around eleven o' clock. But now, the time showed 10: 40.

"Still have time to catch up to airport."

From his location to airport, the distance was still around 5.1 miles. Exiting South Bay Expressway, he picked the pace up and increased his speed from 40 to 55 miles per hour down the White Mountain Drive.

"With this pace, I should be able to reach airport on time."

White Mountain Drive is the only available way to get to airport. Even though it was the only access to airport, White Mountain Drive was not really congested. The traffic was quite fluent even when peak hours since most of the passengers from airport were driving to the neighboring city, Fairhaven. Yes, Paradise International Airport was used by two cities around it, Paradise City and Fairhaven City but mostly used by people from Fairhaven rather than Paradise citizen.

Sheyg finally arrived at airport 10 minutes earlier than the promised time. He parked his car and headed to the International terminal.

"It's easy to know where you're heading since the airport only has one international terminal."

Although the airport's name was Paradise International Airport, it actually only had one international terminal of all five terminals it had. The other four were domestic terminal.

Then suddenly, "Your attention, please. Plane Sunshine Air flight number XX-XXXX leaving from Tokyo has successfully landed."

"Looks like it's my ticket to greet her."

Did he say "her"? Yes, he did. The important person Sheyg wanted to pick up was a she. After a short waiting, he spotted the lady he was waiting among the arriving passengers. She was a young lady aged around 21, two years younger than him. Her height was around 5'3" with a very slim figure. A face like an angel although by her pointed ears, everyone could tell that she was from demon race.

Then he quickly shouted," Nerine, Nerine Forbesii. Over here!"

Nerine then spotted him and walked towards him. "Are you Sheyg Thomas?" She said with a very polite manner.

'My goodness, Not only she's pretty by her figures. Her voice was also beautiful.' He thought.

"Um, sorry, Sir, sir, Are you ok?" She politely asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you Sheyg Thomas?"

"Yes, I am. Wow. I lost my ground upon seeing you. You're um…. Beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Let me carry your stuffs to my car." He said as he lifted Nerine's belongings.

**(End of chapter one)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two (Her first day in Paradise, Part 1)**

"Let me carry your stuffs to my car." Sheyg said as he lifted Nerine's belongings.

"Thank you. You're so kind. I'm sorry for making you lift my belongings." She said humbly.

Sheyg managed to lift Nerine's belongings and lead her to his car. It was a blue Hunter Cavalry with black stripes around its body. He opened the trunk and put Nerine's belongings there and then headed off the airport. Driving on the White Mountain Drive, it was a silent minutes in that car. Not until Nerine started the conversation.

"So, you are Sheyg Thomas."

"Do I need to verify that to you? Should I show you my ID card?"

"No, you don't need to. I believe that. By the way, why did you space out at the airport back then? Was there something wrong on me?"

"No, there wasn't. I spaced out because I was amazed by your beauty. Not only that you're beautiful, but your voice was also beautiful. I'm amazed."

"My. Thank you. Back when I was in high school I was called 'The Angel's Bell' because of my voice."

"You were called 'The Angel's Bell'? But you're a demon! Wow! Unbelievable."

"Yeah, I know. It's strange, right?" She giggly said.

It was a long pleasant chat in that car until Sheyg parked his car in front of a family restaurant.

"Why are we stopping here?"

"I'm hungry. Besides, it's already past lunchtime and I'm sure that you haven't taken lunch yet. So why don't we grab something to eat here?"

They then entered the restaurant. Upon opening the doors, Nerine was startled to see that not only humans were eating there, but also gods and demons were eating there. There were gods chatting each other on a table while eating their food, and there were demons having a pleasant laugh while drinking their coffee. The man behind the counter was a demon. The cook was a god and the waitress was a human. They then took a seat next to window. The waitress then came and took their orders.

Seeing Nerine looking around in amazement, Sheyg asked. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just surprised to see that I'm not the only one who's not human."

"He…he…he…. Of course you're not the only one. Since the 'Opening' years ago, gods and demons have been allowed to live alongside humans."

"I thought japan was the only one to have this program."

"Actually, USA is kind of late to apply this program. But, due to overwhelming amounts of gods and demons in Japan, USA applied the program three years ago."

The phenomenon: "Opening" happened years before, a phenomenon which caused gods and demons to travel to human world and vice versa. Following the phenomenon, Japan's government created a program that allowed gods and demons to live in human world. Japan was the first country to apply such a program. However, due to overwhelming amount of gods and demons living in human world, Japan offered other countries to apply the program. And as a result, North American countries became the next to apply the program with Canada first followed by USA the following month. Because of the successful achievement by these countries, European countries followed their step the next year and Southern American alongside with African countries followed a year after.

Not long after, their orders arrived.

As they enjoyed their meal, Sheyg started a conversation. "So, you said in the forum that you had an American friend. Who are they?"

"Oh, you mean Miami, right? Originally, she was Japanese. But she moved to America six years ago and has become an American citizen."

"And you ever told me that she's a kind of special case as a result of the opening, right?"

"Yes, she's a half-breed. Her father was a demon and her mother was a human. But her human blood dominates her and as a result, she can't use magic."

"Since she's an American now, her father must be an American I assume."

"Yes, her father was an American. Actually her father was also special because her father first landed in America instead of Japan when the opening happened. Her original Japanese name was Mayumi Thyme but because she moved to America, she had to change her name to Miami Harris."

"I wonder what she's up to."

"She's living in Hawaii now. I heard that she's become a famous classic car racer there."

They had a pleasant chat going on until Nerine's phone rang. When she checked on what it was, she was surprised to see that it was a video call from the person they're conversing about, Mayumi Thyme, or by her current name, Miami Harris. Nerine then accepted the video call.

"Hello."

"Hey girl, Miami here, so, have you arrived in Paradise City?"

"You're such an airhead. If I were not here, I wouldn't answer your video call."

"Oh, right, my bad." Miami said while scratching her head.

"Nerine, is that the person you told me about? The girl with the special case you told me about." Sheyg asked.

"Yes, it is." Nerine answered.

"Hey, am I hearing things or is there a guy's voice over there?" Miami said upon hearing Sheyg's question.

"No, you're not hearing things. It's Sheyg. Remember the man I told you about? He's the man whom I always chat with in the forum."

Talking about how Sheyg and Nerine met for the first time, it was a quite unique case. Yeah, 'Shuffle!' forum or known by its full name 'Shuffle! Chat Room Forum' was the thing that made them met each other. First opened by French government a year before, the forum gained its popularity within a month and Sheyg was one of the most active members in the forum. Sheyg met Nerine in the chat room when he was browsing for info about the opening years before. Started with an introduction, then followed by a few of friendly chats, and finally Nerine told him all her problems in their chat. About her problem with her family, her problem about her friends who were leaving her behind, about her lover who left her without a clear reason, and about her financial problem because she had been fired by her company due to Japan's economics recess. Upon hearing this, Sheyg suggested that she should start over again in different place. It's when he suggested her to come to Paradise City to start all over again. Nerine then accepted his suggestion and moved to Paradise City.

Now back to the story. Nerine then put her phone to the side of the table so that they could talk with Miami.

"Miami, this is Sheyg. The man I always chat with in the forum." Nerine said pointing her finger to Sheyg.

"Seriously, Nerine, do you really have to repeat that?" Sheyg bluntly asked.

"So, tough guy, you're Sheyg huh? Judging by your look here, I can assume that you're a kind of womanizer. Nerine will seriously fall for you."

"Miami! Please stop that!" Nerine said while blushing.

Miami was probably right. By looking at Sheyg's figures, a well-built regular body, with perfectly trained muscles all around his arms and his body, a perfectly carved face, and a height of 6' tall, every woman would surely fall for him.

"Well, Sheyg. Nerine can be a bothersome girl sometime and naughty too. But you should really take care of her. She's my friend and I want any friends of mine to be taken care of properly. Understood?"

"Sure, whatever you say, Miami. I will surely take care of her properly. Just see!" Sheyg answered.

Miami then bid them farewell before hanging her call up. It had been a quite pleasant short conversation they had.

"There she ruined my reputation in front of you." Nerine said putting her head down.

"C'mon. Don't be like that. I don't think that you're like what she said." Sheyg tried to cheer her up.

"Yeah, that's her. She likes to say what she wants to say."

"I think that Miami girl is quite a fun girl. Anyway, I would like to introduce you to my friends after this. They're quite eager to see you, so, how about it?"

"Sure, I mean why not? I would also like to see your friends after all."

And so they paid their meals. Actually, it was Sheyg's treat. They then headed to the car and drove towards waterfront plaza where Sheyg's friends were waiting for them.

**(End of chapter two)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three (Her first day in Paradise, Part 2)**

They then headed towards Waterfront Plaza where Sheyg's friends were waiting for them. It took around fifteen minutes for them to drive from where they had their lunch. Sheyg then parked his car and led Nerine to the exact place where his friends were waiting for them. They had made a promise to meet up at the central area of the plaza. Arriving there, Sheyg finally met his friends who had been quite impatient. There were four people there, three guys and one girl. Among those three guys, there's a man from demon race.

"Where the heck have you been, Sheyg?" Said the girl.

"Do you want to make us rot here?" Said one of the guys.

"Sorry, guys. I told you that I had to pick her up, didn't i? And besides, we had to take lunch first since both of us hadn't taken lunch yet." Sheyg answered to his friends.

"Anyway, people, this is Nerine Forbesii, the demon girl that I always chat with in the forum." Said Sheyg as he introduced Nerine to his friends.

"Greetings, everyone, I'm Nerine. It's a pleasure to meet you." Nerine said in formal tone as she bowed down.

"Geez, girl, no need to be so formal." Said the black guy.

"Nerine, these are my friends. That guy over there is Max Miller."

"Hello, and sorry for being so angry before." Said Max.

"That black guy over there is Pearce Washington. This demon guy is Zack um…."

"Tassiter." Zack added.

"Yeah, Zack Tassiter. And this girl over here is Shaundi Ellison. Anyway, where is she?"

"Sheyg, I'm here already. Can't you see me? Uhhhh….." Shaundi said feeling irritated.

"No not you, Shaundi. But…."

"That's her!" Pearce cut Sheyg's words while pointing to a girl who was running towards them.

Running towards them was a girl aged around 22 with height around5'5" tall. She had a long green hair tied with a bow on one side.

"Sorry everyone, I'm late. I had to buy something first." Said the girl.

"Seriously, Shigure. You're always so carefree." Sheyg said.

"So, about our special guest…."

"That's her, Shigure." Zack said pointing to Nerine.

"Nerine?"

"Asa?"

"I never thought that you're gonna be here." Asa exclaimed.

"Now wait a minute. You've known each other before?" Asked Sheyg.

Asa then told him about her relationship with Nerine when they were back in Tokyo. They had been schoolmates in Tokyo and shared same romantic interest for one person. But everything changed when Asa had to move to America because of her work. After listening to Asa's story, the group then headed towards a coffee shop in that plaza. They then ordered a cup of hot coffee and drank it. Then they had a great chat.

"Sheyg, how did you make friends with them?" Nerine asked him.

"We've been friends since we were in middle school. We also went to same high school until we had to go separate ways for university." Sheyg answered.

"Then what about you, Asa?"

"Originally, Asa isn't an old member of this group." Shaundi said before Asa could answer.

"I met Asa in my office when she first started to work in my department in the office." Sheyg added.

"Yeah, you can say that Sheyg here is my boss. Well, kinda." Asa said.

"Where are you working, Sheyg?"

"I'm working as department head in VERITAS Company, the best rated company in the city per last month." Sheyg answered with pride.

"Enough! Mr. Workaholic." Pearce said to him.

"So, about Asa..." Nerine still confused.

"It was me who took her to join our group. Initially, she was hesitant. But after a few times going out with this group, she decided to join." Sheyg explained.

"It was because I couldn't object my boss' orders." Asa said jokingly.

And so they had a pleasant conversation accompanied with a cup of coffee for hours. After having a great time the group decided to part for the day. Sheyg then drove Nerine to his home which would also be her home until unspecified time. They then arrived at Sheyg's home. It was a middle-class apartment building located on East Crawford Drive, Palm Bay Heights. In a district where middle to high wealth people live. After parking his car and lifted Nerine's belongings out of the trunk, Sheyg opened the door to his apartment room.

"Finally, home sweet home." Sheyg said

After putting Nerine's belongings down in her bedroom, Sheyg sat on his sofa. Then Nerine joined him.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"No, just sit down." He allowed her to sit by him.

"You're living here alone?"

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"What about your parents? Where are they?"

Upon hearing that question, Sheyg showed a quite sad face and answered. "My parents died two years ago in a plane crash. Their plane crashed when they were on a trip to Ireland."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. I really didn't know. I'm sorry." Nerine quickly apologized after hearing the answer.

"It's fine really. I've moved on from that tragedy anyway. So it's no big deal. Anyway, you should clean yourself up. The bathroom's over there. I'm gonna sleep 'cause I need to go to work tomorrow morning."

"Sure Sheyg. Thank you." Nerine thanked him.

Sheyg then entered his bedroom and then closed it shut. Nerine could see sadness on his face. As she cursed herself for what happened a moment ago. She knew that she shouldn't have asked that question.

**(End of chapter three)**


	4. Chapter 4: Party

**Chapter Four (Party)**

Sheyg woke up in the morning as his alarm clock rang. Quickly got up from bed, he took a sleepy walk towards bathroom. He then washed his face and took a shower. After taking shower, he used to prepare breakfast all by himself. But this time it was Nerine who was busy in the kitchen.

"Morning, Sheyg. You have done taking shower?" Nerine greeted him.

"I thought that I had been quite early to wake up today." Sheyg answered.

Sheyg then went to his bedroom to change into his work outfit, a smart suit with white shirts inside it, and a pair of brown smart shoes. He was ready to go to work. He only needed to eat breakfast. Usually, he just had a simple toast since it was the quickest to prepare and to eat. But upon exiting his room, he was surprised to see that a luxurious set of meal had been on his dining table. A plate of omelet with a cup of hot black coffee had been placed there.

"Nerine…."

"Yes."

"Did you make these by yourself?" He asked.

"Of course, I know that you need a lot of energy to work so I prepared this for you." She said with a smile.

"Why? Is something wrong with this?" She added.

"Actually, it's a kinda too much for a breakfast for me that's all." He answered to her question.

"Really? I'm sorry. But I think it's the only thing that I could do for you since I'm just a freeloader here. I didn't expect that you would hate it." She said sadly.

"No, it's not like that. It's good. I know it. But it's just too much, okay? I would just like to have toast for breakfast for next morning how about that?" He said trying to cheer her up.

'Man, I never thought that she could be a sensitive girl' He thought.

"Are you sure? You don't want to have these for breakfast? Only toast? Is that ok?"

"Yeah um… Ok, I'd have these for this morning but for next morning, I would like to have toast only for my breakfast since I need to go to office as soon as possible" He said

After hearing that Nerine felt better and relieved that he wanted to eat her food. Sheyg then took a seat at the dining room and ate Nerine's cooking for his breakfast. Taking a bite, he felt a great feeling flowing through his body. He felt like his tongue was being pleased by a very superbly excellently perfectly cooked food. It was just an omelet but tasted like an expensive food in a French restaurant. He felt guilty for telling her not to prepare this kind of food for breakfast anymore. But what's done is done he thought.

"Ok I'm full. Thanks for making this breakfast anyway. I'm gonna go to work now. What are you gonna do while I'm gone? Got any plans?" Sheyg concerned about Nerine while he's gone to work

"Actually I would like to walk around the town. But I'm still new here. I'm afraid that I might end up lost. So perhaps I will stay here and wait for you to come." She said

"Ok. Everything you need is in the fridge. If you're hungry and not feeling like to cook, just call a pizza delivery. I've left the number by the phone for you."

As he was about to leave, he remembered something. "Oh right. If you want to hit the town, just wait for me to get home, ok? We'll hit the town after that."

"Sure. Be careful, Sheyg." She said as she waved her hand.

"Yeah, bye."

He then closed his apartment room's door as Nerine locked it from the other side. He then took his car from the parking lot and drove towards his office, the VERITAS Company. It was around 6 in the morning, or can be said as morning peak hours. The morning peak hours usually stands from 6 to 7:15. During the peak hours, the streets of Paradise City were very congested although vehicles were still able to move around 20 MPH. The reason obviously was the office workers driving to their office. It was also added by school buses that were starting to pick students up. And not to forget that during those times, it was the shift for the garbage trucks to pick up trashes around the city thanks to the mayor's policy that garbage truck should pick up trashes around the city four times a day to ensure the city's cleanliness.

"Huh. What a rack. If this keeps up, I will go nuts. Fortunately, I've been used to this since I've been doing this every work day for three years." He complained

He managed to arrive on time to his office. After parking his car, he then quickly headed towards his working station on floor 5 of VERITAS building. Upon there, he then headed towards his desk. He was surprised to see that the office had been crowded with employees of the department he led or rather, his employees.

"Good morning, sir." Said one of the employees.

"Morning." He replied.

Since he had just twenty employees on his department, he could tell that one of them wasn't there. The work shift was about to start as he was irritated to find that one of his employee hadn't arrived yet.

"Shigure, you're late again. The boss is surely gonna be pissed." Said one of the employee there

"Yeah, I know. I was stuck in traffic. You know how crazy the traffic is during these hours, right?" Asa answered.

"Which is why you should go a little bit earlier Shigure." Sheyg suddenly appeared, shocking Asa.

"Well, I'm sorry shey…. Um…. I mean sir. I promise this will never happen again." Asa tried to keep up her act in front of her friend who was at this time, being her superior.

"Yeah, whatever. Just get to your desk and do your job! You've got a lotta documents and papers to check. They're already stacking on your desk this morning." Sheyg commanded his subordinate.

"My. Shigure was a lucky girl to get Mr. Thomas' attention like that." Said an employee upon seeing that.

"If you want to get my attention, then just make troubles like her and I'll make sure that your payment will be cut by the big boss." Sheyg replied to that employee

Then it was just an ordinary work day in the office. A few hours passed by as all of the employees were busy with their own task at hand. Some of them were busy in front of their computers. While some of them were busy with papers on their desk. It was about lunch break when Asa approached Sheyg's desk with papers in her hands.

"Sir, here are the papers you requested." Asa said putting the papers on Sheyg's desk.

"Sure. Just put them so that I can check them, anything else?"

"Sheyg, can I talk to you? Not as an employee, but as a friend." Asa asked

"What is it?"

"I have a plan for our new girl tonight. I'm making a big welcoming party for her tonight. Can you work together with us on this one?"

"Sure. Just give me the details."

Asa then told him about her plans. They looked really close of course because they were talking as friends not as superior and subordinate. Sheyg knew that a few employees were glaring at them but he decided to ignore it to focus on hearing Asa's plans. The work shift was finally over and all of the employees were getting ready to leave. As Sheyg was about to enter the lobby, Greg the security officer suddenly stopped him.

"What's the matter, Greg?" He asked confusedly.

"Mr. Thomas, there's a girl waiting for you by the entrance. I never thought that you would have been so popular with demon girls."

Hearing the words "demon girls", Sheyg then remembered that this was one of Asa's plans for the event. After telling things with Greg about what's happening, he then rushed to meet Nerine.

"Nerine, what're you doing here?"

"Oh, Sheyg, Asa told me to get here. She told me to take taxi and say to get here. She said that you needed something with me." Nerine politely answered.

'Damn that girl. I've never expected that she would be so damn good in planning things.' He said in his mind.

"Oh, yeah, about that, I told you that I'd take you to hit the town, right? I asked Asa to get you here. I know that you're really eager to see this city." Sheyg faked an answer.

"You're really thinking about that seriously. I'm sorry for making you be like that." Nerine said sadly.

"It's no big deal. C'mon let's get in to my car. We'll cruise the city now." He said as he led Nerine to his car.

_***flashback***_

"So you want me to take her around the town first?" Sheyg asked.

"Yeah, just make her occupied first. When all the preps are ready, I'll let you know."

"And you're gonna have her to come here? She's gonna end up lost." Sheyg concerned.

"Don't worry. I'll tell her to take the taxi here and tell her about the way. Everything's fixed." Asa assured him.

"Ok. I'll do as you say. But where's the party's gonna be held? Don't tell me that you've reserved a luxury table in an expensive restaurant. I can't afford the bills now. I haven't received my payments yet."

"Of course not, silly. It will be held in Pearce's place. He's approved it after all."

"Fine, that's fair enough. I'll do my part in my best."

_***end of flashback***_

Sheyg then opened his car's door for Nerine and then left the parking lot. First, he took her to see Downtown Paradise since his office is located in it. Downtown Paradise was the busiest district in Paradise City. It acts as the business and commercial center of the city with many offices and shops spread around it. Since it was the end of work shift, many workers left their office and walked around downtown. He could see that Nerine was really amazed by the sight. As he was about to take Nerine to another destination, Asa texted him that the preparations had been ready.

'Wow! That was quick. Way quicker than I expected.' He thought.

Sheyg then quickly turned his car around and changed his direction. Nerine noticed that and confused to figure out the reason.

"Where are we going now, Sheyg?"

"Change of plans. Pearce invited me no I mean us to his apartment. He said that he had something special for us. I don't know why, but I guess we better find out."

Nerine was confused because all that she could remember was that Sheyg had never been a curious type. At least that's what he told her in their chat in the forum. But, seeing him to be curious about Pearce's invitation had made her wonder.

"Sheyg, what is going on actually?" She asked him.

"I don't know, everything Pearce said in the news were mostly right. So I think we better check out on this one." He still tried to stick with his act.

They then arrived at Pearce's apartment building, "the 1 Percent". An apartment building belongs to a high wealth citizen. Knowing that his car might not deserve to park there, he parked his car on the side of the road. Entering the lobby, he told the security officer that Pearce Washington had invited them. They then headed to 6th floor and towards Pearce's apartment. Sheyg then knocked on the door.

Knock…knock…knock…

"Who is it?" Pearce asked on the other side of the door.

"Pearce, you were the one who invited us here. C'mon, open the frickin' door already." Sheyg Answered.

Pearce then opened the door and in an instant Nerine covered her eyes with her hands. The reason was because Pearce wore nothing but his underwear.

"Damn it, Pearce! Wear something already! There's a girl here. Are you an idiot?" Sheyg told his black friend.

"Damn, man. I didn't expect you to come here so soon. So it can't be helped. Just get in already." Pearce told his friends to get in.

As Sheyg and Nerine got into Pearce's apartment, Pearce told them to wait for him to get changed. After a while Pearce showed up again with his usual attire. Pearce knew what his part was as Sheyg blinked his left eye on him to signal him on what to do.

"Alright, just sit here and wait. I'll take that stuff for you." said Pearce telling them to sit in the living room.

Pearce then went to the kitchen where the main part of the surprise had been ready.

"Alright, it's show time people. The package's here ready for execute." Pearce told his friends. Everyone nodded in unison.

Meanwhile, in the living room…

"I wonder what the thing he told us about." Nerine wondered.

"I don't know. Pearce is always full of surprise. Oh wait! Did I say surprise?"

Sheyg then showed his thumb up to the kitchen telling his friends to come up with the action.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone said in unison.

"What? What is it?" Nerine confused.

"It's a welcoming gift from us for you, Nerine." Asa explained.

"It's a way for us to say 'welcome to Paradise City' to you." Zack added.

"And a celebration for us, for getting a new friend, and a new member in this small group." Pearce said.

"And it's special for you, our new princess." Said Max.

"Sheyg, what is happening here? I fail to understand." Nerine asked her most trusted Sheyg.

"It's a party from us to you, Nerine. A welcoming party made especially for you. It was all Asa's idea to create this." Sheyg answered.

"Asa?" Nerine still couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, this party is for welcoming you, Nerine, and also a way for us to greet a new friend." Asa answered.

"It's because we did the same thing for you when you first joined this group, Asa." Shaundi said.

"Anyway, this is all we can do to greet you since an introduction doesn't seem to be enough. We want to get closer to each other with this party. Hope you like it." Shaundi added.

"Everyone, thank you, thank you very much." Nerine thanked them.

There were tears flowing on Nerine's face. Tears of happiness, the thing she hadn't felt during her fall times back in Tokyo. It was then Nerine burst into tears and cried. Sheyg then hugged her tightly trying to console her. As Nerine was crying, everyone in that room was also fallen into tears except Zack and of course Sheyg. After a moment full of tears in that room, everyone enjoyed the party, with Nerine and the girls talking about things. Zack and Sheyg were playing video games. And Pearce was having a drink with Max in the kitchen. Everyone surely had a wonderful time in that party.

Back in his apartment, Sheyg was still wide awake in his bedroom. His room's light was still turned on. There he was sitting on his bed with a tab in his hands. Looking at the tablet, tears suddenly fell over his face.

**(End of chapter four)**


	5. Chapter 5 : The Last Time, Part 1

**Chapter Five (The Last Time, Part 1)**

Nerine couldn't sleep that night. She had a kind of strange feeling that prevented her from sleeping, probably a concern. She then exited her room and walked to the fridge to get a cold drink. After having a drink, she walked back to her room. As she was about to open her room, she noticed that Sheyg was awake because his light was still on. When she was about to check on him, she could hear someone crying inside that room. Noticing that no one in that apartment but them, she was sure that it was Sheyg who was crying. She knew that eavesdropping on someone's private matter was inappropriate. But this time, she had to know.

"I wonder what has happened to him." Nerine said curiously.

As she stuck her ears on the doors, she could clearly hear him crying. What she was hearing was really surprising for her.

"Mom. Dad. I miss you. Why did you have to go? I'm nothing without your help here. I'm confused." Sheyg cried.

Nerine then decided to knock the door and asked, "Sheyg, can I come in?"

Upon hearing that, he quickly wiped all his tears and allowed her to get in.

"Sheyg, are you ok?"

"Oh. Hi, Nerine. Guess now you're seeing me in this miserable state, huh?"

She was really surprised on seeing him. With his hair in a mess, tears flowing through his face. She then spotted that he was holding a Tablet. Something in that tablet must have caused all of this to him. But what?

"Sheyg, can I sit by you?" She politely asked.

"Sure" He said as he moved so that Nerine could sit by him.

Nerine then sat beside him. She then saw what's inside that tablet that made him cry. It was a picture of him with two people who were older than him. They showed a big smile on their face, a smile of great happiness. They were behind a birthday cake with numbers 21 on it.

"Sheyg, are they your parents?" Nerine asked.

"Oh. Yes, they are." He answered. Then suddenly, his mood dropped and he showed a face of sadness.

"Next month is going to be the third year of their death. This picture was taken during my 21st birthday, one day before that accident." He said sadly.

"I'm sorry for that. It must be painful, right?"

"It is. But I've managed to get strong. I've got to move on from that sadness. But every time I remember them….." Tears burst from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sheyg. I shouldn't have asked about your parents in first place. I'm really sorry." She apologized.

Sheyg then got a grip of himself and said, "It's okay. It's not your fault. No one's at blame for this. But every year passed….."

Sheyg couldn't finish his sentence as suddenly Nerine hugged him and sank his face in her breasts.

Sheyg confused and asked, "Whafh ish thifss? (What is this)." He couldn't say clearly because he was sunk in her breasts.

"It's okay to be sad. But don't let yourself drowned in sadness. You were the one who told me to be strong on anything. Just be strong, Sheyg. I know that you can do it." Nerine said comforting him.

Sheyg somehow managed to calm down in Nerine's arms. He felt a little embarrassed because no matter how, he's the one who's supposed to do what Nerine did to him. After knowing that Sheyg had calmed down, Nerine let go of him.

"Thanks, Nerine. It helps a lot." Sheyg thanked her.

"It's okay, Sheyg. I just did what was necessary." She exclaimed.

"Well, I'm sure that you're wondering about this picture. Am I right?" Sheyg asked noticing that Nerine was somehow curious about the picture in that tablet.

Before Nerine could admit her curiosity, Sheyg told her about the picture.

"As I've said before, this picture was taken during my 21st birthday. One day before that accident that claimed their lives. This moment was the last time we had fun together as a family."

"What happened then?" Nerine asked him.

Sheyg then told her about his last moments with his parents before their death. A flashback from what happened that time appeared…..

**(End of chapter five)**


	6. Chapter 6 : The Last Time, Part 2

**Chapter Six (The Last Time, Part 2)**

_***Two years earlier***_

It was a hard day for Sheyg. He had just done a very tiring job in his office. He had to do that if he wanted to be promoted as department head. It was one year ago that he was accepted to work in VERITAS Company as an office clerk and now he was ready to be promoted to be a department head. He then drove his car towards his apartment, his old apartment before he moved to his current one. He didn't know that he was about to get a surprise in his apartment.

He then parked his car in the building's parking lot and headed to his apartment. As he was about to open the door, he was shocked to find that the door was not locked. He carefully opened the door preparing to face any kinds of threats. When he opened the door, suddenly…..

"SURPRISE!" That's what everyone said in that room. There were his friends: Pearce, Max, Zack, and Shaundi, and also his parents, Haytham Thomas and Lucia Thomas.

"What's going on here?" Sheyg confused.

"C'mon workaholic, it's your birthday. Don't tell me that you forgot." Shaundi told him.

"Oh crap. How can I forget my own birthday?" Said Sheyg as he smacked his forehead.

"You better not forget how to breathe." Said Pearce joking.

"Happy birthday, my dear son." Said Lucia as she approached him and gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"Mom, please stop that. It's embarrassing." Everyone then laughed after he said that.

"Son, how about a picture first before we blow the candle here?" Haytham suggested.

"Sure dad. why not?" Sheyg replied his father.

Sheyg, Haytham, and Lucia then lined up behind the cake. It was Pearce who was trusted to take picture with Sheyg's tablet. Pearce had been known with his ability to make great pictures with any kinds of camera. Sheyg and his parents then made a big smile on their face as Pearce then snapped their picture. After that, it was Sheyg and his friends' turn to take picture. This time however, Shaundi did it herself using her phone and her monopod. After taking a few selfies, they then proceeded to the main show of the event. As the candles had been lit, Sheyg then made a wish and blew the candle. Everyone then clapped their hands and popped the confetti.

After eating the cake to pieces, they then enjoyed themselves in that small studio apartment. Sheyg then made an announcement.

"Everyone, I'd like to announce something."

"Just announce it already." Pearce cut Sheyg's words.

"Maybe he'll announce it after you shut up, Pearce." Said Max. Sheyg's parents could only giggle seeing them.

"I'd like to announce that I've been promoted as a department head in my office. Starting tomorrow, I'll be working in my new station." Sheyg announced to everyone in that room. Everybody then congratulated him on that achievement. They then showed a happy face but Sheyg's parents were the happiest.

"Well done, son. You've proven yourself to be an excellent man. I am proud." Haytham said to his son.

"How about if we have a party again another time? But just three of us." Lucia invited.

"Sure mom." Sheyg accepted.

Everybody then left the apartment after the party was done, except Haytham and Lucia who stayed to help their son cleaning up. Sheyg was in charge of cleaning the living room with the help of his father, and Lucia was in charge to clean the kitchen.

"Son, tomorrow we are going to fly to Ireland for a business trip. Can you drive us to the airport?" Haytham asked his son.

"When should I drive you?" Sheyg asked.

"Our flight will be at 1 o'clock. Think you can drive us that time?"

"Sure dad. I'll drive you there tomorrow."

His parents then left the apartment after helping him cleaning it. He had a bad feeling about his parents but he decided to ignore it. He then locked the front door and headed to his room to sleep. He had that uneasy feeling about his parents that made him hard to sleep. He tried to ignore it and finally fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke up early since it was his first day after being promoted. Being a department head and have subordinates is what everyone dreamed of and he was a fortunate one to achieve that. He then quickly took shower and got ready for the day. Arriving at the office, he then quickly headed to his new workstation, 5th floor of VERITAS building. He could easily find his desk since it was the only desk for the head of HR department. He was then introduced by his boss, Alan Stewart to his new employees and quickly got to his job as a new HRD department head.

"So, Thomas, How do you enjoy your new job?" Mr. Stewart asked him.

"It's very good, sir. I'll do my best as the new department head." Sheyg told his employer.

"Sure, Thomas, it's pretty good. And if you work hard enough, you can be the next CEO." joked Mr. Stewart.

"That's very funny, sir." Sheyg chuckled.

"No, I'm serious. Everyone can be CEO depends on their effort to get it. So you better work hard to achieve it but don't overdo yourself." said Mr. Stewart motivating his employee.

"Yes, sir, I'll remember that."

Sheyg then started his day as new department head in the office.

It was 12:30 at Paradise International Airport or 30 minutes before his parents' flight. Sheyg then lifted his parents' belongings to the terminal.

"There you go. I should go back to the office now."

"Sure son, we'll be off for four days. Two days in Ireland and the rest were for the trip." Haytham said.

"We'll let you know when we arrive there. Just make sure that you can be reached." Lucia added.

"Sure mom."

"Well, it's almost time. You better get back to the office. You don't want to get trouble in your first day in your new position, right?" Haytham told his son.

"Yeah, I better get back to office now. You two, have a safe trip."

"Sure dear. Bye."

"Bye son. Don't cause any trouble."

And they then hugged each other. After that Haytham and Lucia entered the terminal to wait for their flight. They waved their hand to their son and Sheyg replied them with another wave. And then that uneasy feeling came again to him. He felt like that it would be his last time seeing them and like last night, he tried to ignore it. However this time, it was stronger than last night. It was like he would lose his parents in something bad. He then looked into the sky to see nothing but bright skies above him.

'What is this feeling?' He wondered.

Trying to assure himself that nothing bad would happen, he decided to drive back to his office.

"It's been 8 already. They're supposed to call me around half an hour ago." Sheyg said. It was 8 in the evening and Sheyg still had that uneasy feeling about his parents. He was sitting on his couch watching TV hoping that he would hit a good show to watch. As he watched the TV, the show was cut with breaking news. Usually, he would ignore it and change to another channel. But this time, he had a feeling that he should watch it.

"A plane had just crashed over the Atlantic ocean. The remains of the plane was found floating on the ocean. It was a plane belongs to Paradise Air flight number XX-XXXX to Ireland. All of the passengers are reported dead. No passengers survived this crash…"

"No!" Sheyg said upon hearing that. That feeling now become pain in his heart. He then remembered the plane his parents were taking: Paradise Air with the exact flight number.

As he was still struggling to fight the uneasiness, his phone rang. Checking upon who it was, he was surprised that it was from Paradise Air. He then accepted the call.

"He…. Hello." Sheyg started to stutter.

"Are you Sheyg Thomas?" asked the officer.

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"We would like to give a bad news. Our flight number XX-XXXX to Ireland crashed and Haytham and Lucia Thomas were in the passengers list. They gave your number as the one we can call. Tomorrow, we would like to take your DNA sample to run the DNA test to identify the victims. Can you attend that?"

Hearing that, Sheyg then dropped the phone and cried, "No! This can't be! This can't be happening! No! No! No!" He then picked the phone again and asked, "Sir, tell me that it's not true. Tell me that it's a joke."

"We're sorry, sir. It's true."

Sheyg then hung up the phone and headed to his room. There he was lying down and cried. Cried a lot while bending and hugging his knees on the floor.

"This can't be. Mom, Dad, tell me you're going back home." That's all he could say in the end. He then realized that this is the bad feeling he had about his parents. That he would lose his parents in a horrible way.

The news spread quickly as his friends then came to console him. Mr. Stewart then told him not to go to work until the situation got better since he was worried that Sheyg might not work well in such condition. His employees then supported him by texting him. Three days after the discovery, Sheyg then received his parents' bodies to be buried. Two days after the burial, a man suddenly came to his apartment claiming to be his father's man.

"What is it? Don't tell me that you're seeing me to bill me for my father's debt."

"No, Sheyg. I'm coming here to give you this." said the man, handing a suitcase.

"It's your father's inheritance to you. Open it." He told Sheyg.

Sheyg then opened the suitcase to find out that it was his father's inheritance, money with a sum of 250,000 dollars and a small letter. He then read the letter.

"_Sheyg my son,_

_I know that one day we'll leave you for your own. We know that you'll say that you could stand on your own feet. But I can't leave you without anything for you to carry along. So just accept this as our inheritance to you so that you can stand with your own feet. Get a new place and continue your life. We love you, son._

_Our special son: Sheyg Thomas_

_Love you, your parents."_

"Mom, Dad." Sheyg said upon reading that letter. Tears began to fall down from his eyes.

"Sheyg, I'm sorry about what happened to your parents. It's all out of our expectation." said the man.

"It's okay, no one's to blame for this."

"So, will you take the inheritance?"

"Yes, I will." Sheyg answered.

And so he took the inheritance money. The first thing he did was finding a new place for him to stay as said by his parents in their wish. He then found a new apartment. Much better than the one he was in. After buying a new apartment to live he sold his old apartment to a real estate agent. And he was ready to face the world by himself.

_***Present times***_

"And that's how it was." Sheyg told her.

"It must be tough for you I assume." Nerine said.

"At first, yes, it was. But now I've managed to survive so far. I've accepted the faith that I have to live on my own. Like you said before, everyone mustn't drown in sadness." Sheyg assured himself.

Nerine then could see a smile on his face. She was relieved that he managed to smile again. She knew that Sheyg was a strong person upon seeing him smile again after telling such story.

"Sheyg, can I hug you once again?" She asked him.

"Sure, just don't drown me in your breasts again like that." Sheyg accepted. Nerine blushed upon hearing that.

And so they hugged each other trying to get rid of their sorrows. They then knew that it was about time for them to get back to sleep. Nerine then walked back to her room while Sheyg closed his room's door and managed to sleep.

"My life is gonna be full of color from this time." He said. He then turned the light off and managed to sleep.

**(End of chapter six)**


	7. Chapter 7: Sia And Kikyou

**Chapter Seven (Sia and Kikyou)**

It was early in the morning as Sheyg woke up and got himself ready for work while Nerine was busy in the kitchen. Sheyg had expected a good breakfast by Nerine but he was surprised to see what was on the dining table, a plate of toast which was overcooked, something that he had never expected of her.

"Um, Nerine, what is this?"

"It's a toast. Like you asked yesterday."

"Isn't it a….." As he was about to finish his sentence, he then remembered that he shouldn't hurt her feelings.

"Yes?"

"A little too few. Yeah, I usually have three slices of toast instead of two." He lied not wanting to hurt her feelings. He then took a bite and tasted something he'd never expected, a great bitterness of overcooked toast. He tried to eat it up to make her happy but he couldn't as he threw the toast back to the plate.

"It's not good, is it?" Nerine asked.

"Well, um….."

"Sheyg, please don't lie to me." Nerine begged.

"Your omelet yesterday was amazing but this one well, um… I must say it's overcooked. It doesn't mean that I'll want to have omelet for breakfast since I can't always have eggs for breakfast every day." Sheyg told her the truth.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I'm not good in cooking except for making omelet. That's the only thing that I can cook. I'm sorry." She said bowing down.

Seeing her like that, Sheyg then came up with a solution. "Hey, I know someone who can help!" He exclaimed.

"It's Asa, right? I learned cooking from her back in Tokyo." Nerine answered to him.

"No not her. Although I know that she's pretty amazing in cooking, but not Asa. Just let me call her." Sheyg then took his phone and made a call.

"Hello, this is Sia." Said the person on the other line.

"Ah, Sia, it's me Sheyg. Listen, I might need your help. I have a friend who needs a cooking lesson, can you help me?" Sheyg asked.

"Sure, I'm never gonna say no to a friend in need." Sia accepted.

"And, is Kikyou there?"

"Yes, she's here. She's just come back from Biblia to promote her new book."

"That's great, the more the merrier. I'll be there with that friend at 2." Sheyg told his friend.

"Sure, Sheyg, we'll be waiting. Bye."

"Bye." Sheyg said hanging the phone up.

Nerine then approached him and asked, "Sia? Kikyou? Are they also here?"

Startled, Sheyg then asked the sky blue haired girl, "Why? You've known each other?"

"Yes, they were the daughters of the king of gods, Eustoma. I know them because I'm a princess of the demon race. So I have to make acquaintance with them." Nerine answered.

Sheyg was shocked when hear that, "What? You're a princess? I'm sorry for treating you so casually your majesty." He said bowing down to her.

"It's okay. It's my wish to live normally with anyone else. So just don't treat me like a real princess. Just treat me like usual way." She said.

Upon hearing that, Sheyg quickly got back on his feet.

"Well, it's okay if that's what you want."

"Anyway, Sheyg, how did you know and make friends with them?" Asked the curious Nerine.

As he was about to answer, he looked at his watch and found that he should get going. "Well I'd like to tell you but I really need to go to work now. I'll explain it later when I'm home. Is that ok?" He asked.

"Sure." She accepted.

"Ok then, Bye."

"Bye Sheyg."

Just like usual, it was during peak hours when he headed to his office. This time however, he hadn't had breakfast since he couldn't eat Nerine's cooking like previous day. So he had to make a stop at a convenience store to buy sandwich for him to eat. After finding what he was looking for, he headed to the cashier to pay his purchase. He then ate the sandwich during his way to his office. Arriving in the office, his usual day then started.

It was 1:30 when Sheyg and Nerine were heading to Sia's place. Sheyg usually got home from work at 4 but on Tuesday, he only works half-time so he could finish his work at 1.

"Sheyg, you haven't answered my question this morning, about Sia and Kikyou." Nerine told him.

Hearing that, Sheyg remembered that he promised her to tell the story. He then started, "Well it's quite a story about how I met them. I met them just around three months ago…."

_***Flashback***_

_Three months earlier_

Sheyg and Asa were in a coffee shop discussing about their work. This time they were being a superior and subordinate. Asa discussed about a few proposals sent to them by another department only to be rejected by Sheyg. When they were busy, Asa's phone suddenly rang and she then answered the call.

"Hello… Yes?... What? You've arrived here?... And you've already bought an apartment to live in? That's great!... Sure, we'll visit you… Yes, I said 'we' 'cause I'm going to bring a friend there, is that ok?... Great! We'll be there." Asa then hung her phone up.

"Who was that?" Sheyg asked her.

"It was from my old friend back in Tokyo, she's just moved here. And she asked us to visit them." Asa answered.

"Because you mentioned me in your call, didn't you?" Sheyg raised an eyebrow.

"It can't be helped. I was so excited that I mentioned you in that call. I told them that you'll go with me visiting them." Asa said while scratching her head. "So, what do you think? Should we go check them out?" Asa continued.

"Well, since you've already told them that you're coming, we should get going. Anyway, I'm somehow dragged in this because of you."

Hearing that, Asa could only giggle on him. They then headed to their cars. Sheyg drove his Hunter Cavalry and Asa drove her Nakamura SI-7. They then headed to Asa's friend's place. This time, Asa was the one to lead the way while Sheyg followed her from behind. They then arrived at the place. It was a medium-wealth apartment by the Lambert Parkway. After parking their car they then headed to the exact place.

"She told me that they're living on floor 5, in room 517."

"Wait a minute. 'They'? How many people this friends of yours are?" Sheyg confused.

"Ooops! Looks like I haven't told you that they're twins. My bad." Asa replied.

"Twins?" Sheyg said in disbelief.

As they were talking each other, they arrived at their destination, apartment 517. Asa then rang the bell.

"Just a minute." said a girl on the other side of the door.

It wasn't long enough as the girl opened the door to see Asa.

"Asa!" exclaimed the girl.

"Sia! Long time no see." They then hugged each other. It's not long until Sia noticed that Asa wasn't coming alone.

"Asa, who is this guy?" Sia asked.

"Oh, it's Sheyg, my friend and also my boss."

"You don't need to say that last part, Asa." Sheyg grumbled. "Anyway, I'm Sheyg Thomas, nice to meet you." He said pointing out his right hand expecting a handshake.

"Sia. Lisianthus Eustoma. It's good to meet you, Sheyg." Sia said accepting Sheyg's hand and did a handshake. "Come on, let's get in." Sia invited them in.

Sheyg and Asa then entered the apartment and were surprised to find out that the apartment was already neat and clean even though they'd just moved.

"Please, take a seat." Sia told them to sit. "I'm sure that you're wondering why the place has been clean even though we've just moved in, right?"

"You're a mind reader, Sia." Sheyg Exclaimed.

"That's because this place had been bought and prepared before we moved here." Said another girl who looked like Sia, only with a deeper voice. "I'm Kikyou, Sia's Sister. Pleasure to meet you." Kikyou introduced herself.

_***End of flashback***_

"And then we had a pleasant chat and the next you can guess it yourself. It all thanks to Asa that I met them." Sheyg concluded his story.

"So they moved here three months ago. What are they doing now?" Nerine asked.

"Now Sia is working part time as a librarian while Kikyou is working as a writer. In two months she could publish and sell two books. I'm surprised to hear that she's just published her third book."

Sheyg could see the eagerness on Nerine's face and said, "Nervous about meeting some old friends?' He teased.

"Actually, yes, I'm quite nervous now."

"Don't be. Just take it easy ok?" Sheyg tried to convince his friend.

They then arrived at Sia and Kikyou's apartment building. After parking the car, they then headed to Sia and Kikyou's apartment. Sheyg then rang the bell.

"Who is it?"

Hearing the voice, Sheyg could easily tell that it was Kikyou. "It's me, Sheyg and a friend. Just open the door Kikyou."

Kikyou then opened the door. "Sheyg! So, where's your friend?"

"She's here."

Nerine then showed up.

"Nerine?" Kikyou asked in disbelief.

"Kikyou, long time no see." Nerine replied.

"Sia, quick, come here! Sheyg here is bringing us an important guest." Kikyou told her sister to come. Sia then came from the kitchen.

"Kikyou, what is it a…." Before Sia could finish her words, she was surprised to see Nerine.

"Rina, you're here. Come here let me hug you." Sia then approached Nerine and hugged her.

"Sia, so you're here after all?" Nerine asked her friend.

The three girls then hugged each other because they hadn't seen each other for quite a time. They completely forgot about Sheyg.

"Ahem…." Sheyg coughed. "Hello, I'm still here. Am I completely forgotten?"

The girls then noticed that Sheyg was there too. After hugging each other, Kikyou told them to get in.

**(End of chapter seven)**


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